SOA signs pledge for better and improved education

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Bhubaneswar: Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) Deemed to be University here joined more than 20 leading Indian universities and institutions of higher education at a three-day conclave in Goa recently to pledge for better and improved action on achieving UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in their institutions and cities.

The universities and higher education institutions signed the ‘Goa Declaration’, the first such academic declaration for achieving SDG at the conclave held from March 10 to 12.

The carbon neutral event, PACT2030 (Pledge, Act, Change, Transform), was the brainchild of QS I-GAUGE, the renowned brand for Indian education ratings which brings together the global expertise, experience and reputation of UK-based Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).

Dr. Bhushan Patwardhan, chairman of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), who attended the conclave as the chief guest, said knowledge, action, character and mental strength were important for quality education. “Any desired change is possible only through education,” he said.

Avinash Rai Khanna, vice-chairman of Indian Red Cross Society, Dr. Anil Prakash Joshi, founder, Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organisation (HESCO), Shaurya Doval, founder, India Foundation and Prof. Lawrence Pratchett, former vice-chancellor, International University of Canberra, Australia also attended.

Organised by Dr. Ashwin Fernandes, regional director- Middle East, Africa and South Asia, QS I-GAUGE, the conclave was co-hosted by the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Uttarakhand and Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education (Deemed to be University), Tamilnadu.

Prof. Pradipta Kumar Nanda, SOA’s Pro vice-chancellor and Pritam Nayak, officer-on-special duty, represented the university at the conclave.